Jackie and Wilson
by BalletBaby5
Summary: Quiet photographer Katniss Everdeen and basketball star Peeta Mellark live in completely different worlds at their high school. Until they are forced to come together for a project in Mr. Abernathy's English class to interpret Matthew Arnold's poem, 'The Buried Life'. Title based on the Hozier song.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own The Hunger Games or the poem 'The Buried Life'. All credit goes to those amazing writers.

"Katniss?"

"Mhmmm," she answered, not even looking up. She stared into the tiny viewfinder of her camera, the body of it resting solidly in her left hand. Holding her camera gave her the freedom to people watch without garnering disgusted stares. After all, it was her job to take pictures for the school paper, and the beautiful people of Panem High loved to have their picture taken.

"Can you put that thing down for a second, I'm having a real crisis here Katniss!" Joanna demanded with a huff.

"I'm listening," she reassured.

"Katniss please," Annie squeaked. She knew the desperation in Annie's voice had nothing to do with her taking photos and everything to do with Joanna's potential to explode into a rage blackout.

With a sigh, she lowered her camera and put on her best sympathetic smile.

"What's up Jo?"

"What's up is that it's only October and my grades in English are already slipping! You know that college applications are due soon and if I don't pull my grade up then I can kiss my ticket out of this hell hole goodbye." Joanna punctuated her frustration by slamming her locker door shut causing Annie to jump slightly and hug her books tighter to her chest.

"It'll be fine," Annie soothed, hesitantly placing her hand on Joanna's shoulder.

"I'll help you, I promise," Katniss said as they started down the hall towards their classes. "Let me read your next essay, I might be able to give you some pointers."

Their conversation was cut short by a high-pitched whistle as they walked past the cluster of lockers near the end of the hall where the senior members of the basketball team were loitering.

"Joanna Mason, aren't you a sight for sore eyes," Finnick Odair called out with a cocky grin.

"Suck my dick Finnick," Joanna sang with a sweet smile as they passed. Annie giggled when he winked at her and Joanna gave her a disapproving stare.

"Was that really necessary?" Katniss laughed.

"They're pigs, honestly." Joanna said, rolling her eyes.

Annie glanced back over her shoulder at the group. "They're not all bad. Peeta is nice."

"Peeta Mellark is just like the rest of them," Joanna snorted. "Egotistical with nothing to back it up, and his victims all have a type."

"What type?" Annie asked so innocently that Katniss wanted to pat her head and straighten the black bow in her hair that was slightly askew.

Annie's naivety wasn't her fault. She had grown up in the family that everyone dreamed of. Her father was a doctor and her mother a dentist. They were perfectly sensible people with equally sensible jobs that meant Annie and her two brothers never wanted for anything. Annie was the baby, adored equally by her older brothers as she was by her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Cresta supported and encouraged Annie in everything she did, including her choice of university or college next fall.

Both Katniss and Joanna could only imagine a family like this. After years of screaming matches, Jo's parents had divorced before she started high school. The assumption had been that the divorce would provide some relief and make things easier. But now it was as if her parents were in some sort of competition to see who could find a new life first. They were so wrapped up in dating new people, getting hair plugs and participating in juice cleanses, that they seemed to forget they had a daughter. So Joanna took care of herself.

Katniss had a single mother family, but with the number of hours her mother worked as a nurse, she might as well have had no parents. Her father had died when Katniss was eleven and since then her mother had done everything she could not to be at home. It was as if her father's memory followed her mother around like a shadow she just couldn't shake, and when she could no longer outrun it, it would devour her. Katniss took on raising her younger sister Prim, doing everything from braiding hair to forging her mother's signature on report cards and permission forms for school trips.

Being friends with both Katniss and Joanna had afforded Annie a glimpse into that life, while still maintaining her innocence. So needless to say, Katniss wasn't surprised that Annie hadn't clued into Peeta Mellark's 'type'.

"Blondes."

"No way, he's dated girls who aren't blondes," Annie protested.

Joanna came to a halt outside of their classroom. "Name one."

"Jessica Sellar! Oh no wait, she is blonde. Well there was Pa- no, hold on, never mind. Oh wait, I know," Annie's eyes went wide with enthusiasm. "Jocelyn Lloyd! She's a brunette!"

"Former blonde," Katniss reminded her.

"At least she was two years ago when she dated Mellark," Joanna said with a satisfied smile, ducking into her Science class with Annie hot on her heels, listing off more names.

Katniss pulled up the strap of her leather messenger bag farther on her shoulder and continued on her way to her English class. The bag had belonged to her father so it was well worn, but that was part of what she loved about it. She rested it on her desk as she slid into her seat at the back of Mr. Abernathy's English class. She could hear Finnick and his crew still making noise out in the hall as Mr. Abernathy got up to close the door and begin class.

"Now I'm assuming you all took the time to read the poem that I assigned last night… Know that your silence is instilling a lot of confidence in me," he said sarcastically. Just as he was about to shut the door, Peeta Mellark attempted to slide in.

"You're late."

"Technically, I still have thirty seconds before I'm declared 'officially late' according to the school handbook-"

Mr. Abernathy cut him off, "Oh you're able to quote the school handbook are you? Well how about quoting something relevant to my class, like the poem I assigned last night."

"If you want," Peeta said with a shrug. "Light flows our war of mocking words, and yet, Behold, with tears mine-"

"Alright, enough," Mr. Abernathy sneered. "Sit down and stop being a smart ass."

"As you wish." Peeta took a bow and then shuffled to his seat at the back of the class.

"So, the poem you were all assigned last night was 'The Buried Life' by Matthew Arnold. Now I know that Mr. Mellark has read it, but I'm hoping that the rest of you managed to skim it last night as well. Any thoughts?"

The class was uncomfortably silent as they all trained their eyes to look anywhere but the front.

Mr. Abernathy gave a deep sigh and ran his hand through his long hair. "That's what I thought. I'm sure you could all tell me what happened on Jersey Shore last night though, or whatever the hell it is you kids are watching these days. No matter, you can all tell me what it meant to you in an assignment."

The class let out a collective groan.

"Oh now I have something to say!" Mr. Abernathy laughed and passed out the sheets containing the assignment outline.

"What do you want to do before you die," Delly Cartwright read aloud as she scanned the page.

"That is the question you are going to answer here," Mr. Abernathy said, leaning on his desk at the front of the class. "In any medium you choose, it doesn't need to be an essay. But using Arnold's poem and the question I've given you, I want you to create something of meaning for me that shows that you truly understand Arnold's words."

Katniss felt mildly excited about the project, especially given the choice of medium. So rarely did teachers let them do anything that wasn't pencil and paper.

"There is a catch though," Mr. Abernathy continued. "You will work with a partner of my choosing. I want you to learn how to communicate with one another and find out about one of your classmates, who they are at their very core."

Once again, the class let out a groan.

Mr. Abernathy raised his voice and continued to talk over them. "If you flip your sheets over, you'll see the name of your partner on the back."

Katniss felt her stomach twist. She barely let Joanna and Annie know who she was at her 'core'. As she turned over her paper, her worst fears were confirmed. Scrawled on the back of the sheet in Mr. Abernathy's scratchy handwriting was Peeta Mellark's name.


	2. Chapter 2

Once again, I do not own any of these characters. I just enjoy writing them. If you enjoy reading it, throw me a review and let me know :)

"Something I can help you with Miss Everdeen?" Mr. Abernathy muttered, not looking up from the paper he was marking. The bell had gone and the class had quickly emptied. Katniss had lingered behind, hoping to change his mind.

She shuffled nervously on the spot. "Yeah, it's about the assignment."

"Let me guess," he said, finally giving her eye contact. "You want me to give you a different partner. The answer is no."

"But Mr. Abernathy!" she glanced around and lowered her voice to a hiss. "Peeta Mellark? You can't seriously expect me to work with him."

"I think you are exactly what Mr. Mellark needs. And he might do you some good too, if you'll let him."

"But-"

"No Katniss," Mr. Abernathy returned to his marking, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. "Now go before you're late for next period."

With a huff, she stormed out of the room, almost colliding with Peeta as she did.

"Sorry, I guess you're stuck with me," he shrugged and gave her a smug smile.

"Listen to me carefully Mellark. I'll speak slowly for you, don't worry," Katniss said, stepping closer to him. She wasn't sure what had come over her. This was so unlike her, she was reacting more like Joanna than herself. "I'm not about to throw away my chances at a scholarship for college because you're too busy styling your hair and hanging out with your boys, to work on our assignment."

"Relax Katniss," he chuckled. "Man, I think I'm starting to see your 'core' already."

Her face turned a deep shade of red and she felt her mouth dry up. Turning on her heel, she walked away quickly and didn't dare look back. She gripped the strap on her bag tightly and tried to calm breathing.

But she was so rattled she blew off her next class and hid out in the dark room. She knew she could just tell Mr. Heavensbee that she had been covering something for the paper and he would give her a pass. As she hung up the photo she had taken earlier in the day near Joanna's locker, something in the frame caught her eye. It wasn't the subject that was the focus of the picture; it was what was behind her. There was Peeta Mellark, in the background of the photo, staring right into the camera lens. His eyes were piercing and she was left completely unnerved by him for the second time that day. Unfortunately it wouldn't be the last.

She spotted him across the street, leaning against his bright red jeep, as she left her afternoon job at a local bookstore. Before she could think to escape, he spotted her and jogged over. His blonde hair fell out it's usual slicked back style and into his eyes. He brushed it back and grinned at her.

"What are you doing here?" Katniss asked, staring at her shoes and pulling on a string on the sleeve of her sweater.

"Annie told me you worked here."

Katniss made a mental note to kill Annie later. She looked up at him and squinted at the sun that was starting to set behind his head. He hadn't answered her question at all.

As if he sensed she wasn't satisfied, he went on. "I thought we should start the project."

"What, now? Tonight?"

"Are you busy or something?" he laughed. Katniss felt mildly offended by his assumption that she didn't have anything better to do. Truthfully, she didn't. But that was no business of his.

"I have this, um, thing tonight. I can't really work on the project tonight."

He gestured behind him to his waiting jeep. "Well at least let me drive you home. We can talk about the project on the way, come on." He started crossing the street, not waiting for her response.

"But-"

"Relax Katniss, it's just a ride," he said with a head nod and a shit-eating grin.

She shuffled back and forth on the sidewalk, trying to make up her mind. Finally, she rolled her eyes and walked towards the jeep. She tossed her bag onto the seat and climbed in after it.

"You're sure you don't have time tonight to-"

Katniss didn't even hesitate. "No. I mean, I can't. Sorry."

"Alright Trigger, relax, I'll take you home," he chuckled and threw the jeep into drive. "So I'm assuming you had some ideas about the assignment."

She shrugged. "I thought maybe we could do a photo essay or something."

"So long as you're the one taking the pictures, I don't know anything about photography. But I'm happy to offer ideas on the subject of the photos," he said easily.

"Okay," she agreed and breathed an inward sigh of relief. She had thought it was going to take a lot more convincing to get him to agree to do the photo essay. "What were you thinking for the photos?"

"Well Abernathy's jumping off point is what we want to do before we die. I think we should both come up with a bunch of things we've never done and then go out and do them."

"That's…not terrible," Katniss inwardly cringed as she said it. She hated to admit that it was a pretty good idea.

He glanced over at her, almost surprised by her compliment. "Thanks."

She turned her attention to the scenery passing by outside her window. The ground was littered with shadows as the sun made it's final descent.

Peeta let a few more moments pass in silence before he reached over and switched on the radio.

The familiar guitar chords of one of her favourite songs filled the space around them. Katniss couldn't help but smile and tap her fingers softly on the top of the door while her arm rested against the window.

"Love this song," Peeta said. His eyes were focused on the road, but he tapped along to the song on the steering wheel.

"Me too," Katniss answered without thinking. He looked over at her with a lopsided grin and once again, she felt a blush creeping up the back of her neck. "So when should we start working on the project?"

"How's Thursday? I have basketball until five but I could meet you after that," he said, allowing her to blow past her previous comment.

"Great, Thursday it is. This is good," she blurted out and gestured for him to pull over. The jeep was barely stopped when she opened the door and slid out. "Thanks for the ride."

Katniss slammed the door shut and started down the street towards her house. She didn't dare look back at him, but for the second time that day, she could feel him watching her walk away.


	3. Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Apologies for the formatting issue, I have no idea how that happened. Thanks to those let me know :)

Again, I own none of the characters. But I do love feedback! So if you feel so inclined, throw me a review after you've read the chapter. Sorry for the lengthy wait time, life just keeps getting in the way of writing time.

By the time Thursday had rolled around, Katniss was filled with so much dread, she could have sworn there was a giant black cloud floating over her head like in a cartoon. She was pretty certain this project was going to be nothing but misery. How could it be anything but? It was Peeta Mellark after all.

Katniss was pacing near the front window of the bookshop when the clock chimed five.

"If you're not careful, you're going to light a fire on my wood floor with the amount of friction you're creating over there," Cinna said from behind the cash. As the owner of the tiny independent bookshop on the main street of their town, Cinna was also her boss. But to Katniss, he felt more like an older brother and she trusted him more than her own family.

"She's just nervous for her date," Prim sang from her large wingback chair in the corner.

"It is NOT a date," Katniss sputtered. "It's a project, that's it. Besides, he's such a-a…"

"Dreamboat?" Prim blinked her eyelashes furiously and grinned.

Katniss narrowed her eyes. "You, little duck, should be concentrating on finishing your homework and not on boys."

Prim stuck out her tongue at Katniss but returned to her books nonetheless.

Katniss leaned on the counter and lowered her voice, "You're sure it's okay that she stays here? I promise she won't be any trouble."

Cinna smiled warmly. "Katniss, for the last time, it's fine. Prim is never any trouble. It will be nice to have some company in here."

Joanna and Annie were usually Katniss' go-to babysitters when she was stuck and needed someone to watch Prim. Unfortunately, Annie had an important dinner at the Club with her parents that she couldn't skip and Joanna was working a shift at the local Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Putt. Her first thought had been to bail on Peeta, she was already dreading the whole thing. But then she thought about the bank account that was a little lean and the scholarship that she desperately needed, and changed her mind. In a moment of desperation, she had turned to Cinna.

"Just make sure you're back before I close at 9 or I'll be forced to sell her to the highest bidder," Cinna joked, eliciting a giggle from Prim.

The bright red jeep rolled into view and Katniss grabbed her leather bag off the landing of the staircase.

She turned back to Prim. "Be good." Prim rolled her eyes and smiled. After mouthing a quick 'thank you' to Cinna, she dashed out.

"I know, I know, I'm sort of late," Peeta said as he leaned out the open window of the jeep, adjusting his side mirror. His hair was wet and pieces of it rested on the frames of his ray ban style sunglasses.

"It's fine. But next time, I would appreciate if you tried a little harder to be on time. I have a life too you know."

"Noted," he chuckled softly. "Basketball practice went long. Finnick started mouthing off to Coach Crane, so then we all had to run sprints and do a hundred push ups."

Katniss nodded but didn't say anything.

"So…" Peeta continued. "Did you make your list?"

"Yeah." Katniss dug through her bag and retrieved a small notepad she always carried. Flipping through, she found the page with her list and tore it out, thrusting it towards Peeta.

Without warning, he leaned over and opened the glove box, reaching into the back. Katniss glued herself to the back of the seat as he leaned over her, but that didn't stop her from catching a waft of his deodorant and she hated to admit how good a freshly showered Peeta smelled. She mentally slapped herself and focused on what was going on outside of her window until he was once again sitting upright in his seat.

Peeta unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to her. Katniss glanced down the list.

"You've never been camping?" She hadn't meant it to sound so accusatory, but Peeta just laughed.

"If you met my mother you would know why. She's not exactly the…outdoorsy type. And what about you? Touch a snake?"

Katniss blushed and ducked her head. "I'm sort of afraid of them, so I thought that might be a good one."

Tossing the list on the dashboard, Peeta turned the car off and got out.

Grabbing her bag, Katniss scrambled out after him. "Where are you going?"

"I know which one we're going to do first. Come on girl," he grinned and started down the sidewalk.

"You aren't going to tell me which one?"

"Nope. This is more fun."

There was that shit eating grin again.

"Well why do we have to do one of mine first."

"Because I had the idea first," he laughed and continued walking. He stopped abruptly and she almost ran right into him. "It's going to be fine okay? We're here."

Katniss looked up and saw that they were at the local pet store. Before she could protest, Peeta had already gone inside and she had no choice but to follow him.

"Peeta Mellark! My goodness, is that you?"

A shorter gentleman with bright blue hair pulled back in a ponytail came out from behind the counter. His orange skin made him look like the victim of a spray tan gone awry and offset his bright white teeth.

Peeta stood up a little straighter and pushed his sunglasses up onto his head, holding his wet hair back.

"I know it's been a long time. How are you Caesar?"

"Just wonderful now that I've seen your sweet, grown up face," the man said and pulled Peeta into a hug. When he stepped away, he noticed Katniss standing back awkwardly.

"And who is this gorgeous flower?"

"This is Katniss, a…friend from school. Katniss, this is Caesar Flickerman. He's an old friend of my father."

"Friend I will accept, but I like to think I've retained my youthful glow," Caesar said and let out a boisterous laugh that echoed through the store. The phone behind the counter rang and he excused himself before scampering off to answer it.

"He's um…" Katniss started.

Peeta laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah I know. But he really is a great guy. I used to come here as a kid with my dad to visit Caesar. My Dad would bring him a box of bread and pastries from the bakery and they would have coffee."

"That was nice of your dad," Katniss said, pulling her camera out of her bag.

"Yeah. I always wanted a dog and my mom would never let me have one. She hated pets. But Caesar got a puppy and he let me play with it every Sunday morning when my dad and I would come to the shop. He says he bought the dog for him, but I sort of think he got it for me," Peeta smiled fondly at the man chattering animatedly on the phone.

Katniss tried to be discreet as she snapped a photo, but the sound of the shutter turned Peeta's head.

"Sorry, " she said sheepishly but Peeta just shrugged.

"You're the real photographer here."

"Now what can I do for you two crazy kids," Caesar said as he hung up the phone.

"We're in need of a snake," Peeta said.

Katniss' eyes went wide. "We are?"

Peeta outlined the project for Caesar and the snake on Katniss' list, and Caesar's eyes became bright and eager.

"I've got just the thing," he bubbled and motioned for them to follow him further into the store.

There were cages and tanks everywhere, full of every kind of small and medium sized fish or reptile Katniss could imagine. Caesar brought them to a halt in front of a large tank containing an equally large boa constrictor.

"Will this do?" Caesar asked. Both Katniss and Peeta's eyes were the size of dinner plates.

"Yeah it will," Peeta said excitedly.

Katniss cut in, "No way!"

"Oh come on Katniss," he laughed. "You said you had never touched a snake. Well this is the mother of all snakes!"

He took the camera out of her hands before she could protest.

"I promise you, it's perfectly safe," Caesar insisted as he unlocked the tank. Katniss had gone pale as he reached in and lifted the large snake out. "This one is actually a child, so she's not even fully grown!"

"Great," Katniss croaked and tried to swallow the large lump that had developed in her throat.

Caesar brought the snake over and Katniss was already starting to squirm. Peeta began snapping photos and she shot him a look.

"You were the one who wanted to do photos for the project," he reminded her and ducked back behind the viewfinder before she could see him smile.

"I officially hate you," she muttered to him.

Caesar stood right in front of her with the giant snake. "Now just hold out your arms," he said.

Katniss could see her hands shaking as she followed his instructions and before she knew it, the snake was draped over her arms. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried her best not to move.

"Katniss, open your eyes! This is amazing!" She heard Peeta call to her.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened her eyes.

"What do you think?" Caesar asked with a mischievous grin.

She felt the snake moving on her arms, it's skin running over hers.

"It, um, actually feels kind of cool," she confessed. She felt the snake's body tighten around her one arm and Katniss immediately tensed up again. "What's she doing?"

"Don't panic, this is what boa constrictors do, you're completely safe," Caesar assured her.

The snake wrapped itself around her left arm, slithering slowly as it went.

"How cool is this," Peeta mumbled as he moved in front of her to snap more photos.

"I guess not many people get to hold a boa constrictor," Katniss said. "It's kind of tickling me." She found her face relaxing as she stared down at the face of the snake in her arms and her lips unconsciously curled into a half smile.

The camera clicked again and Peeta stood back, looking at the photo on the small screen.

"That's the shot," he said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You've got this smile that only happens when you think no one is looking."

He said it so matter of factly, and Katniss felt her face heat up. She was used to being the one behind the camera and up until now, she was certain that no one had ever noticed her because of it.

Peeta put the camera down and ran his fingers lightly over the snake's skin. His eyes flitted upwards and met hers but only for a brief moment until she looked away, embarrassed. She knew that part of Abernathy's assignment was to get to each other's 'core'. But the truth was that Katniss didn't want Peeta Mellark to know her that way, and she certainly didn't want any connection with him.

"We should go," she said quietly.

As they walked down the street towards the bookstore and Peeta's waiting jeep, she did her best to avoid any eye contact with him.

"Well I would say that was pretty successful," Peeta said.

Katniss nodded silently in reply.

"How about we meet this weekend to cross off something else on the list," Peeta continued, stuffing his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

"Sure, that's fine," Katniss said and gave him a quick wave before continuing her walk.

"I'll call you then?" he called after her.

"Sounds good," she called over her shoulder, not daring to look back at him. Ducking into the bookstore, she let out a deep sigh. She was pretty sure she had been holding her breath since she left an hour before.

Looking up, she was met by Prim and Cinna staring at her with raised eyebrows.

"How was your date?" Prim asked from her perch on the counter.

"It was not a date!" Katniss insisted.

Cinna leaned out from behind the cash register and stared out the front window. "Then why has that boy been staring at this place since you walked in here?"


End file.
